Conventionally, a gas barrier film including a relatively simple structure in which an inorganic film such as a vapor-deposited film of a metal or metal oxide is formed on the surface of a resin base to prevent permeation of water vapor or gases such as oxygen has been used in the field of food products, packaging materials, pharmaceutical products, or the like.
Recently, a gas barrier film for preventing permeation of water vapor, oxygen, or the like is also used in the field of an electronic device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) element, a photovoltaic (PV) cell, and an organic electroluminescence (EL). Specifically, since those electronic devices are required to be provided with flexibility, light weightiness, and non-breakability, a gas barrier film having those properties has been used.
As a method for obtaining the gas barrier film which can be applied to an electronic device, a method of forming a thickened inorganic film on a resin base can be mentioned. However, by thickening an inorganic film only, a sufficient gas barrier property cannot be obtained as defects such as a crack are easily generated on the inorganic film. Accordingly, a gas barrier film including an organic film formed as an adhesion layer to prevent generation of a crack in a thickened inorganic film, specifically, a gas barrier film produced by alternately laminating a unit consisting of an inorganic film and an organic film is suggested (Patent Literatures 1 and 2).